Bevan Foundation joins discussion on rural poverty

Poverty
NewsOctober 29th, 2020

The Bevan Foundation appears on ITV Wales and S4C to discuss rural poverty.

Poverty is a problem in all our communities. Recent research released by the Child Poverty Action Group show that more than 1 in 5 children live in poverty in every single local authority in Wales with more than a quarter living in poverty in every local authority bar 3. The Bevan Foundation was therefore pleased to be able to join ITV Wales and S4C to discuss rural poverty.

Speaking on behalf of the Bevan Foundation, Dr Steffan Evans said that whilst the drivers of poverty are similar across Wales there are some unique challenges facing people in rural communities.

Living costs can be higher in rural areas. If you have to heat your home with oil for example, that is often more expensive than gas. Public transport might not be as readily accessible as it is in urban areas so there are extra living costs associated with that. And of course, the work that’s available in rural areas tends to pay less”. 

He added:

“It is fair to say that we might not fully recognise the scale of poverty in our rural areas. The number of people living in poverty might be smaller and the issue may be less concentrated in specific areas than in our urban communities, but it doesn’t mean that the problem isn’t there.” 

The work of filming for the programme started prior to the pandemic and the Byd ar Bedwar on S4C follows the impact that the pandemic had on two mothers living in west Wales. The challenges faced by the two mothers are likely to be reflective of those faced by thousands of families.

Steffan had an opportunity to share some of the findings of the Bevan Foundation’s work on the impact of the pandemic on poverty which drew attention to some of the actions that could be taken to protect families trapped in poverty this winter.

The full episode of Y Byd ar Bedwar is now available (with English subtitles) on BBC iPlayer. You can also catch an extract from the show (in English) on ITV Wales news last night.

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